While thousands of soldiers labored at building roads, corduroying through the swamps for the heavy artillery and wagons to pass over, General Halleck’s left wing drew first blood on May 3. Confederate skirmishers interfered with Union work parties along the road to Farmington, and Brigadier General James D. Morgan, of the First Division, deployed more than one thousand of his infantry and a battery of artillery to clear them out.
A casual meandering sort of battle developed, with the Southerners making a fighting retreat down the road in the face of vigorous enemy pressure. General Pope’s soldiers finally entered Farmington, Mississippi, where they fought a second engagement with Confederate skirmishers south of the town. The entire affair lasted about three hours, until about 6:00 p.m., when the fighting died down. Probably no more than one hundred and fifty soldiers were killed or wounded on both sides, but it was still a noisy and bloody affair, and it was the biggest since Shiloh.
The Confederates were commanded by Colonel John S. Marmaduke and numbered about two thousand men, cavalry and infantry, and at least three pieces of artillery.21 Sharp picket fighting broke out again on the following day, with Confederate soldiers trading Minie balls at long range. One Rebel scout crept up to a Federal work party and picked off a Union officer. Jumping to his feet, the Southerner made a wild but successful dash back to a Confederate picket post.22
The skies opened up again, raining on the Blue and Gray alike, but work on building fortifications and roads continued. Union and Confederate guns traded a few cautious long range shots to try and determine each other’s positions and strength. Patrol activity flared on the Union right wing, and several Confederate prisoners were brought in to Thomas’ headquarters.23
General Beauregard was eager to strike a blow against Halleck, and Pope’s capture of Farmington seemed to provide the needed opportunity. Farmington was only about four miles from Corinth, and the swamp area around the little town meant that the hero of Island No. 10 was virtually isolated from the rest of the army. Beauregard’s plan was for Bragg to distract Pope’s attention with a frontal assault while Van Dorn attacked the Union left.24
On the morning of May 9, Bragg struck. Brigadier General Daniel Ruggles’ Division actually made the assault, driving in Federal skirmishers and driving off the Second Iowa Cavalry. The Southerners swarmed into Farmington, captured a number of prisoners, grabbed up a newly established telegraph station, and secured a considerable quantity of Federal supplies. Just beyond the town, Ruggles encountered a strong force of Pope’s infantry, which he engaged. Union skirmishers were chased off and several Federal infantry regiments badly mauled and forced to withdraw. The Southerners were finally ordered to halt lest they run into an ambush, but Private Charles Lamb, Thirteenth Louisiana, became so excited that he rushed after Pope’s men until shot through the left leg. Lamb and the other Confederate wounded were picked up, and General Ruggles reluctantly gave the order to withdraw for Van Dorn had failed to make his flanking move. Ruggles’ losses were ninety-nine men killed and wounded as against one hundred and seventy-eight Union casualties. Twelve Confederate regiments, one battalion, and four batteries were involved as compared to eleven Union regiments.25 Pope pulled his troops back several miles so as to co operate better with the rest of the army and to al lay Halleck’s fears about him be coming trapped in the exposed Farmington position. For more than a week operations languished in the Corinth area as both armies cautiously kept their horns in and continued digging.
Beauregard’s situation steadily deteriorated as the Federals grew ever closer. His total effectives were only about fifty thousand men, thanks to the deadly effects of disease. If Halleck continued his siege-like approach, the Confederates would be forced to either fight under almost hopeless conditions or else evacuate Corinth and the surrounding fortifications.
To try and divert some of Halleck’s army away, Beauregard launched raiding parties into Tennessee and Kentucky. The Creole hoped to pull troops away from the Corinth area to oppose these parties, but the plan failed as the raiders were too few in number to make any spectacular inroads on Federal communications.26
While the raiding parties were doing their part, Beauregard’s soldiers skirmished and dug around Corinth. Miles of trenches and breastworks were thrown up, protecting the various approaches to the little Mississippi community. Grumbling soldiers dotted the countryside with a seemingly infinite number of rifle pits.
While thousands dug, hundreds traded shots with the Federals. Here and there a Southerner went down, his flesh torn by an enemy sharpshooter’s round. One Southern private suddenly felt a tremendous blow on his leg, and looking down, he could see a small red mark which rapidly grew into a large whelp. A spent musket ball had hit him. Shaking with relief, the private sat down on the ground, emptying his stomach of his last scanty meal. The Sixth Tennessee was pestered by a Northern sniper who was peppering their picket post. The men finally spotted the Yank about five hundred yards away behind a large oak tree. But the fellow was too agile for their return fire. Finally Captain Ephrain Harbert, Company K, arrived at the post. A noted Tennessee squirrel hunter, Harbert watched the proceedings with a certain amount of disdain. Finally he took an Enfield rifle from one of the soldiers. He waited for the Yank to fire again and then gently squeezed the trigger. The Federal jerked backward behind the tree and did no more shooting that day.
Occasionally some of the Southerners got a little time off to visit the town. Most of the men vainly hunted for some liquor or decent food. One Confederate noticed some Federal soldiers being marched through the town and recorded in his diary that the “blue rascals looked like sheep killing dogs.”27
The daily monotony was finally broken by a sharp fight caused when Sherman assaulted the Russell House on the extreme Confederate left. Morgan L. Smith’s brigade, supported by Bouton’s Illinois Battery, assaulted the house and surrounding works, driving the Confederates out after an hour’s fight. The Southerners were finally forced to give ground, although a Rebel officer made a gallant effort to rally his men. Private R. M. Snyder, Company G, Eighth Missouri, put a rifle ball through the Southern officer’s head, ending his efforts. Federal losses were ten killed and thirty-one wounded, while Sherman reported that his men took one prisoner and found twelve bodies in and around the house.
The excitement died down but on May 21, Colonel Thomas T. Sedgewick led four regiments in a reconnaissance of the Corinth position on the Widow Serratt’s house, where they were assaulted by a small force of Confederate infantry. A lively fight followed, lasting until darkness fell, when the troops retired on Buell’s command. Confederate losses were unknown, but the Federals lost at least one killed and twenty-six wounded.28
The following morning the Southerners countered with a reconnaissance in force, consisting of a battalion-sized cavalry party under N. B. Forrest. The Southerners split into two groups, one party advancing directly on an enemy picket post while the other, led by Colonel Forrest in person, made a flanking movement. The Federals were taken by surprise and routed with several casualties, including a Reverend Dr. Ware and his sorrel stud, captured.29 As Forrest succinctly put it, “I Suceded in gaining thir rear…. they wair not looking for me I taken them by surprise they run like Suns of Biches.”30
The tempo of fighting gradually picked up with increased skirmishing and offensive patrolling on both sides. On May 27, Sherman launched a new attack on a log cabin, serving as a Confederate command post and strong point, in front of his position. Attacking with his own outfit, supported by James Veatch’s and John Logan’s, he moved up straight at and around on both flanks of the strong point. Federal artillery moved up within a few hundred yards of the Confederate position before unleashing a savage fire that literally demolished the building. Sherman’s infantry then stormed the position. Union losses were light, and the Federals soon advanced on other Southern works in the rear of the shattered house. Southern artillery peppered the advancing Northerners, inflicting considerable casualties on Veatch’s brigade. Confederate skirmishers also harried the advance, but the Bluecoats kept up the pressure until they were within three-fourths of a mile of the main Southern works outside Corinth.31
On May 28, almost the entire Federal army began a series of probing attacks on the Corinth works. The Northerners were within approximately four miles of Corinth all along the line of their siege works, and in most places they were less than a mile and a half from the main Confederate fortifications. If they could gain a few more yards of ground, they could bring up the heavy guns for the final bombardment, to be followed by an all-out assault that would capture the rail center, destroy Beauregard’s army, and probably end the war in the Mississippi Valley. It was a nice dream, but it was not to be, for the Confederates were already quietly pulling out southward.
On May 19, Beauregard first began the delicate task of preparing Richmond for the idea of abandoning Corinth. In a clever opening gambit, he informed General Samuel Cooper that since he had received no orders as to what to do at Corinth, he was holding the town and risking a major defeat instead of evacuating and letting the enemy have the town. Having paved the way, the Creole then explained that if by some chance he had to leave the town, that his best line of retreat was along the Mobile and Ohio Railroad. He would defend Corinth to the last, unless the government wished him to do otherwise, or if the enemy’s numbers proved overwhelming. Robert E. Lee, acting as President Jefferson Davis’ advisor, answered Beauregard, approving of the suggested line of retreat. Even before Lee’s missive arrived, the Rebels were already milling out of the town.32
On May 25, the Confederate high command met in council. Beauregard proposed an immediate retreat before the enemy isolated the town. General Hardee was especially in favor of an immediate evacuation, and he drew up a lengthy memorandum advocating it.33 Once the evacuation was agreed, it only remained to execute it. Secrecy was vital, and in order to help deceive the enemy, the corps and divisional commanders were to spread the rumor that an attack was being planned. Detailed instructions were issued for everyone, including specific orders on the routes to be used to reach Baldwin, Mississippi. On May 28, Beauregard telegraphed Richmond that he was retreating to Baldwin, where he hoped to be able to turn and smash any pursuers.34
The Creole’s biggest worry was that the Federals would learn of the proposed retreat and attack while his army was half in and half out of the town and fortification. Partly to keep the Federals off balance and partly to keep Halleck’s attention away from the town itself, the Confederates began a series of aggressive attacks on the advancing Federal army on May 28 and 29. On one occasion, Colonel Wesley Winans led the Nineteenth Louisiana in a vigorous charge on a party of attacking Yanks. The Eleventh and Thirteenth Louisiana joined in the fight, finally driving Halleck’s soldiers back.35
The Southern soldiers not engaged were ordered to have their baggage packed and rations cooked and to be ready to move out at a moment’s notice. The sick and wounded were shipped first, and about midday on May 28, the line troops began to move out. On the night of May 29, the last of the Southerners prepared to leave. Parties of men were detailed to keep the campfires burning, while drummers were ordered to stay behind and beat reveille at the usual hour. There were dummy guns posted all along the Confederate works, while an empty train of cars ran back and forth through the town. Occasionally the engineer would let go a loud whistle from his engine, while Rebel demolition parties cheered each time the train stopped to give the Federals the impression that reinforcements were arriving. As the last parties of Southerners left the town, they burned all the nearby bridges and took down the road signs.36
About 5:00 a.m. on the morning of May 30, the Union army heard a series of explosions from Corinth, as the demolition parties blew up some supplies that could not be carried off. Generals Pope and Sherman decided the Rebels were evacuating and ordered patrols to probe the town’s defenses. The patrols found no resistance, and indeed no sign of life except a few Southern soldiers who were too ill to be moved and some rather battered looking civilians.
Gradually the news spread around to the army that the Confederates had gone. One Union regiment informally received the news from an elderly Negro, who wandered into their picket line. He told them, “Dey’s all gone, boss, shuah! … You-uns can jess walk right into de town ef yer wants to!”37
Halleck quickly ordered a pursuit, and Pope and Buell followed Beauregard for about thirty miles before breaking off the chase. Except for some light skirmishing, the Corinth campaign was over. The railroad center was under the Union flag, but little else was achieved, a singularly barren victory. Most of the Union soldiers were not overwhelmed with their prize. Ambrose Bierce described Corinth as “the capitol of a swamp.”38 Neither Corinth nor its female inhabitants caught the fancy of a young disgruntled Yankee. He described the little town as follows:
I don’t now remember that any of the Sixth boys got particularly struck on the place. Nor did I ever hear of any of them deserting the regiment to remain there on account of being captivated by any of Corinth’s tobacco-chewing, snuff-rubbing, flax-haired, sharp-nosed, hatchet-faced, yellow-eyed, sallow-skinned, cotton-dressed, flat-breasted, big-footed, bare-headed, long-waisted, hump-shouldered, stoop-necked, bare-footed, straddle-toed, sharp-shinned, thin-lipped, pale-faced, lantern-jawed, hollow-eyed, silly-looking female damsels.39
The Northerners had taken Corinth, but the escape of Beauregard’s army meant the war was a long way from being over. Halleck thought he had gained a great victory, but Grant and many others believed he had botched the whole affair by permitting the Confederate army to escape.
From Fishing Creek to Corinth, Southerners had suffered a succession of staggering disasters that would be difficult and perhaps impossible to make good. Despite this, the Confederacy in the West was still very much alive and dangerous. The mob that fought at Shiloh was now a dangerous, experienced fighting army capable of quickly shifting over to the offensive once Halleck scattered his grand host across the upper South. After Fort Donelson, Grant and millions of others believed that one more battle would end the Civil War; instead the conflict was only just beginning.
Perryville, Stone’s River, Chickamauga, and a vast array of bloody battles waited in the future for Grant, Sherman, Buell, Hardee, Polk, and all the others to fight.